Thickness grinding machine



Jan. 26, 1965 P. BCiTTCH ER THICKNESS GRINDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1962 JNVENTOR:

PAUL BOTTK-"f? H wa p L/DM United States Patent O a 10 Claims. in. 51-87 The present patent relates to a thickness grinding machine with grinding aggregates (grinding cylinders or grinding belts) arranged above and below the workpiece for simultaneously grinding both sides of plates of most various types. At the entry, in front of the grinding aggregates, there are arranged upper and lower feed rollers which are fitted to be capable of a rocking movement such that when inserting the plates, they are spreading apart against the pressure of any suitable spring elements, and are conforming to the various thicknesses of the crude plates, while always guaranteeing a safe feed through the machine. 7

The roller oscillators which are arranged above and below the workpiece are positively connected to each other by means of suitable control linkages such that they can oscillate only simultaneously in upward and downward directions and are thus clamping each crude plate when being introduced, on both sides in a tong-like manner. Any difierences in the thicknesses of the crude plates which can never be absolutely avoided, are therefore always ground off equally from both sides during the pass ages of the grinding aggregates so that valuable outside layers of so-called. sandwich plates (chip boards plywood boards, or even certain'plastic plates) are weakened only as little as ever possible and the respective necessary chip removal is always distributed equally between the upper and lower grinding aggregates.

A particular feature of the invention residesin the arrangement of the control linkage for the positive tong like movement of the roller oscillators.

In order to adjust grinding machines of this type to the various plate thicknesses, it is necessary to fit the lower grinding aggregates rigidly and accommodate the upper grinding aggregates in a height-adjustable top member of the machine frame. As the abutment points of the lower roller oscillators are arranged immovably in'the machine frame but those of the upper grinding aggregates are arranged to be capable of being adjusted in height in correspondence with the thickness of the plates, any adjustment in height of the upper member or any change to another plate thickness will result into an asymmetric adjustment of the tong arrangement.

As, however, the chipping operation which is to be uniform on both sides, absolutely necessitates said symmetry of the tong arrangement, it will be necessary with such constructions that with-each change in plate thickness a precise and circumstantial regulation is effected at the control linkage between the upper and lower roller oscillators in correspondence with the changed spacing therebetween in the vertical plane.

In accordance with the invention, the utilization of a special possibility of adjustment in the transfer linkage of the clamping tong movement-as far as this covers the range of the usual plate thicknesses-is avoided by dispensing with the known directly engaging diagonal linkages and instead transferring the essentially vertical oppositely directed oscillating movement of the upper and lower rollers at first into a horizontally directed movement through angle levers and obtaining the positive connection and opposite movement of the two tong halves only through especially long horizontal pull rods and stationary shift levers engaging at the other end thereof.

The attached drawing shows by way of example an embodiment of the thickness grinding machine which.

makes possible the changing operation and adaptation to the respectively desired plate thicknesses without special regulation of the roller oscillators, making use of the improvement in accordance with the invention.

9n a machine frame 1, there is supported on vertical columns 2 an upper member 3. Said upper member 3 is vertically adjustable to the respective thickness of the workpieces from a supporting bridge 5 and by means of a spindle 4. The upper member 3 has rigidly supported therein a grinding cylinder 6. The grinding cylinder 6 is driven by an electric motor 7 arranged thereabove by meansof a belt drive. The grinding cylinder 6 has fitted in front thereof a frame 8 with built-in feed rollers 9 for vertical rocking movement on angle levers 10. The angle levers 10 have their rotary axes ll rigidly supported in the upper member and are interconnected through a lashing 12 in such a manner that both angle levers can carry out only parallel movements and thus allow for vertical movement of the frame 8 without any twisting.

The horizontal movement of the two vertical legs of the angle levers id is transferred onto the double lever 14 via the long ull rod 13, with said double lever being rigidly supported at the fulcrum point thereof in the lower machine frame l.

The lower leg of the double lever 14 has pivoted thereto a pull rod 16 through which the movement of the double levers is transferred onto vertical legs of the angle levers 13 which are interconnected through a lashing 17. The an le levers 18 enable the frame 1% which in combination with the feed rollers Bil forms the lower leg of the clamping-tong like feed device, to carry out the necessary parallel movement in the vertical plane. Y

A tensioning spring 21 provides for the clamping of all the feed rollers to the workpiece and thus for the centers ing action which it is aimed at with respect to grinding cylinders 6 and 25. Guiding lips 22, 23 and withdrawal rollers 24-, 25 are taking over the guidance and further transport of the workpieces beyond the processing zone which is formed by the grinding cylinder 6 making tangential contact with the workpiece from above and the grinding cylinder 26 rigidly supported in the lower machine frameand' makingtangential contact from below. The grinding cylinder 26 is driven by its own electric motor 27. j

If height adjustment of the upper member 3 and all the parts rigidly fitted within said upper member is effected by actuation of the adjusting spindles 4, thus adjusting the machine to another workpiece thickness, then the pullrod 13 will carry out a swinging movement through a few degrees of an angle, or even minutes only, about the left-hand side suspension point thereof in the double lever 14. In correspondence with the length of this pull rod 13, there will arise only a slight displacement of the vertical legs of the angle levers 10 interconnected by the lashing 12 in accordance with the turning radius. 7

With the range of adjustment as required, i.e. the usual range of'thicknesses of the plate material to be processed, and with a corresponding length of the pull rod, it may he obtained that an adjustment of the grinding machine to another plate thickness does not call for any addi tional adjustment of the clamping tong linkage. The maximum nonuniformity between upper and lower chipping that Will have to be tolerated, remains within the limits of a few hundredths of a millimeter and therefore practically is absolutely unimportant.

It has no bearing on the construction of the clamping tong device whether the thickness grinding machine comprises only two superimposed grinding aggregates as is the case with'the embodiment shown by way of example or whether the upper and lower grinding aggregates as shown have series-connected thereto further tool shafts in the machine frame or within the adjustable upper member, respectively, for an increased chipping operation or surface refining.

What I claim is:

l. A machine for grinding plate-shaped workpieces on two parallel sides comprising a machine frame with a stationary part and a movable part, said movable part being adjustable with respect to said stationary part, an inlet opening, a passage-way and an outlet between said stationary part and said movable part to introduce and pass through said workpieces, a rotatable grinding aggregate supported by said stationary part and a rotatable grinding aggregate supported by said movable part, said grinding aggregates having parallel axes and being disposed beside said passageway engaging said two parallel sides of workpieces passing through a work-piece feeding device disposed between said inlet opening and said grinding aggregates, said device comprising a first member arranged in said stationary part and a second member arranged in said movable part, said members being movable with respect to one another and having feed elements engageable with opposite sides of a work piece when they are moved toward each other for feeding the workpiece toward said grinding aggregates, resilient means acting on said members in a direction towards one another, means for positively connecting said members forcing them to move simultaneously in directions towards and away from each other and effecting in dependence upon an adjustment of said movable part an automatic adjustment of both of said members symmetrically to the respective central plane of said passageway extending in parallel with said passageway and said axes of said grinding aggregates.

2. A machine for grinding plate-shaped workpieces on two parallel sides comprising a machine frame with a stationary part and a movable part, said movable part being adjustable with respect to said stationary part, an inlet opening, a passageway and an outlet between said stationary part and said movable part to introduce and pass through said workpieces, a rotatable grinding aggregate supported by said stationary part and a rotatable grinding aggregate supported by said movable part, said grinding aggregates having parallel axes and being disposed beside said passageway engaging said two parallel sides of workpieces passing through, a workpiece feeding device disposed between said inlet opening and said grinding aggregates, said device comprising a first member arranged in said stationary part and a second member arranged in said movable part, said members being movable to and fro with respect to one another and having feed elements engageable' with opposite sides of a workpiece when they are moved toward each other for feeding the workpiece toward said grinding aggregates, resilient means acting on'said members in direction to one another, mechanical linkage means for positively connecting said members transforming said to and fro movements of said members arranged in said stationary part and in said movable part respectively into corresponding movements substantially in parallel with said passageway and equalizing said transformed movements by a common rotational movement about a center point lying substantially in a plane of said passageway extending in parallel with said passageway and said axes of said grind- I 1 ing aggregates.

3. A machine for grinding plate-shaped workpieces on two parallel sides comprising a machine frame with a stationary part and a movable part, said movable part being adjustable with respect to said stationary part, an inlet opening, a passageway and an outlet between said stationary part and said movable part to introduce and pass through said workpieces, a rotatable grinding aggregate supported by said stationary part and a rotatable grinding aggregate supported by said movable part, said grinding aggregates having parallel axes and being disposed beside said passageway engaging said two parallel sides of workpieces passing through, a workpiece feeding device disposed between said inlet opening and said grinding aggregates, said device comprising a first member arranged in said stationary part and a second member arranged in said movable part, said members being movable to and fro with respect to one another and having feed elements engageable with opposite sides of a workpiece when they are moved toward each other for feeding the workpiece toward said grinding aggregates, resilient means acting on said members in a direction to one another, crank means for each of said members, said crank means being, rotatably supported by said stationary part and said movable part, respectively, said crank means respectively transforming said to and fro moveents of said members into corresponding movements substantially in parallel with said passagewa rotational means supported by said stationary part substantially in a plane of said passageway extending in parallel with said passageway and said axes of said grinding aggregates, connecting means between said rotational means and said crank means of each of said members for equalizing transformed movements.

4. A machine for grinding plate-shaped workpieces on two parallel sides comprising a machine frame with a stationary part and a movable part, said movable part being adjustable with respect to said stationary part, an inlet opening, a passageway and an outlet between said stationary part and said movable part to introduce and pass through said workpieces, a rotatable grinding aggregate supported by said stationary part and a rotatable grinding aggregate supported by said movable part, said grinding aggregates having parallel axes and being disposed beside said passageway engaging said two parallel sides of workpieces passing through, a workpiece feeding device disposed between said inlet opening and said grinding aggregates, said device comprising a first member arranged in said stationary part and a second member arranged in said movable part, said members being movable with respect to one another and having feed elements engageable with opposite sides of a workpiece i when they are moved toward each other for feeding the workpiece toward said grinding aggregates, resilient means acting on said members in direction to one another, a 7

set of parailelly disposed crank means for each of said members, said crank means being rotatabiy supported by said stationary part and said movable part respectively, first connecting means between the crank means of each set, the supporting point of said crank means of each set and the connecting points between each of said crank means of each set and said first connecting means being spaced from one another so that a parallelogram is formed, rotational means supported by said stationary part substantially in a plane of said passageway extending in parallel with said passageway and said axes of said grinding aggregates, second connecting means between said rotational means and said first connecting means of each set of said crank means, said second connecting means being connected to said rotational means diametrically and substantially perpendicularly to said passageway, said second connecting means being relatively very long with respect to the amount of adjustability of said movable part.

5. A machine for grinding plate-shaped workpieces on two parallel sides comprising a machine frame with a stationary part and a movable part, said movable part being adjustable with respect to said stationary part, an inlet opening, a passageway and an outlet between said stationary part and said movable part to introduce and pass through said workpieces, a rotatable grinding aggregate supported by said stationary part and a rotatable grinding aggregate supported by said movable part, said grinding aggregates having parallel axes and being disposed beside said passageway engaging said two parallel sides of workpieces passing through, a workpiece feeding device disposed between said inlet opening and said grinding aggregates, said device comprising a first member arranged in said stationary part and a second member arranged in said movable part, said members being movable with respect to one another, resilient means acting on said members'in direction to one another, rollers on each member engaging said workpieces, a set of at least two parallelly disposed crank levers for each of said members, said crank levers being rotatably supported in a plane in parallel with said passageway by said stationary part and said movable part respectively, each of said crank levers being substantially L-shaped and having two arms, the first arm of each crank lever being connected to a'respective one of said members, a first connecting member between the crank levers of each set connected to the second arms of said crank levers of each set, the supporting points of said crank levers of each set and the connecting points between each of said crank levers of each set and a respective one of said first connecting members being spaced fromone another so that a parallelogram is formed, a rotational lever with a center point supported by said stationary part substantially in a plane of said passageway extending in parallel with said passageway and said axes of said grinding aggregates, second connecting members between said rotational lever and said crank levers-ofeach set, said rotational lever extending substantially perpendicularly to said passageway in diametrical directions, the end portions of said rotational lever being connected to said second connecting members respectively, the connecting point between said rotational lever and a respective one of said second connecting members being spaced from the centerpoint of said rotational lever substantially through adistance equal to the distance by which the connecting point between the respective one of said second connecting members and the respective set of said crank levers is spaced from the central plane of saidpassageway extending in parallel with said passageway and said axes of said grinding aggregates, said second connecting members being relatively very long with respect to the amount of adjustability' of said movable part.

6. A lamina surface processing machine comprising a stationary lower machine frame member including guide means for an upper movable machine frame member, adjustment means for adjusting said upper frame member relative to said lower frame member, 'said lower and said upper frame members forming a passageway with an inlet and an outlet for a workpiece therebetween, a lower surface processing toolunit rotatably supported by said lower frame member, an upper surface processing tool unit rotatably supported by and adjustable with said upper frame member, said lower and said upper tool units having parallel axes and being spaced according to the thickness of said workpiece,- a feeding device for said workpiece ment direction of the other feed roll arrangement, and

spring means acting upon said linkage means so as to urge said lower and upper feed roll arrangements toward each other.

7. A lamina surface processing machine comprising a stationary lower machine frame member including guide means for an upper movable machine frame member, adjustment means for adjusting said upper frame member relative to said lower frame member, said lower and said upper frame members forming a passageway with an inlet and an outlet for a workpiece therebetween, a lower surface processing tool unit rotatably supported by said lower frame member, an upper surface processing tool unit rotatably supported by and adjustable with said upper frame member, said lower and upper tool units having parallel axes and being spaced according to the thickness of said workpiece, a feeding device for said workpiece arranged between the inlet of said passageway and said arranged between the inlet ofsaid passageway and said tool units, said feeding device comprising a lower feed roll arrangement rotatably supported by crank means pivoted tosaid lower frame member so as to move towards and away from said passageway and an upper feed roll arrangement rotatably supported by crank means pivoted "to and adjustable with said upper frame member so as to move towards and away from said passageway, linkage means connecting the crank means of said lower and upper feed roll arrangements whereby the movement direction of one of said feed roll arrangements relative to said passageway is transformed into an opposite movetool units, said feeding device comprising a lower feed roll arrangement rotatably supported within first frame member pivotally connected to the substantially horizontally extending arms of a first pair of bell crank levers, said levers being pivoted to said stationary frame member andhaving their other parallel and substantially vertically extending arms pivotally connected by first link means, and an upper feed roll arrangement rotatably supported within second frame member pivotally connected to the substantially horizontally extending arms of a second pair of hell crank levers, said second levers being pivoted to said upper frame member and having their other parallel and substantially vertically extending arms pivotally connected by second link means, the horizontally extending arms of said first and second-bell crank levers extending in opposite directions relative to their pivot axes, linkage means connecting said first and second bell crank levers to the equally long arms of a double armed lever extending substantially normally to the plane of said passageway and supported by said lower frame member to pivot about an axis extending horizontally in the plane of said .passageway'whereby the movement direction of one of said feed roll arrangements relative to said passageway is transformed into an opposite movement direction of the other feed roll arrangement, and spring means acting upon said linkage means so as to urge said lower and upper.

. feed roll arrangements toward each other.

8. A .machine according to claim 7, in which each of said feed roll arrangements comprises a plurality of feed rolls arranged to cooperate in pairs.

9. A machine according to claim 7', in which the horiz ontal bell crank lever arms of said upper feed roll arrangemen-t extend in a direction toward said upper surface processing tool so that the portion of said linkage means connecting said second bell crank levers with said double armed lever is substantially longerthan the portion of said linkage means connecting said first bell crank levers with said double armed lever 10'. A machine according to claim 7, in which said spring means comprises a helical tension spring connected atone end to said lower linkage means and at the other end to an adjusting screw and nut arrangementsupported by said lower frame member.

6/14 De Long s1 s7 1,102,211 7 LESTER M. SWINGLE', Primary Examiner. r 

6. A LAMINA SURFACE PROCESSING MACHINE COMPRISING A STATIONARY LOWER MACHINE FRAME MEMBER INCLUDING GUIDE MEANS FOR AN UPPER MOVABLE MACHINE FRAME MEMBER, ADJUSTMENT MEANS FOR ADJUSTING SAID UPPER FRAME MEMBER RELATIVE TO SAID LOWER FRAME MEMBER, SAID LOWER AND SAID UPPER FRAME MEMBERS FORMING A PASSAGEWAY WITH AN INLET AND AN OUTLET FO A WORKPIECE THEREBETWEEN, A LOWER SURFACE PROCESSING TOOL UNIT ROTATABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID LOWER FRAME MEMBER, AN UPPER SURFACE PROCESSING TOOL UNIT ROTATABLY SUPPORTED BY AND ADJUSTABLE WITH SAID UPPER FRAME MEMBER, SAID LOWER AND SAID UPPER TOOL UNITS HAVING PARALLEL AXES AND BEING SPACED ACCORDING TO THE THICKENSS OF SAID WORKPIECE, A FEEDING DEVICE FOR SAID WORKPIECE ARRANGED BETWEEN THE INLET OF SAID PASSAGEWAY AND SAID TOOL UNITS, SAID FEEDING DEVICE COMPRISING A LOWER FEED ROLL ARRANGEMENT ROTATABLY SUPPORTED BY CRANK MEANS PIVOTED TO SAID LOWER FRAME MEMBER SO AS TO MOVE TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM SAID PASSAGEWAY AND AN UPPER FEED ROLL ARRANGEMENT ROTATABLY SUPPORTED BY CRANK MEANS PIVOTED TO AND ADJUSTABLE WITH SAID UPPER FRAME MEMBER SO AS TO MOVE TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM SAID PASSAGEWAY, LINKAGE MEANS CONNECTING THE CRANK MEANS OF SAID LOWER AND UPPER FEED ROLL ARRANGEMENTS WHEREBY THE MOVEMENT DIRECTION OF ONE OF SAID FEED ROLL ARRANGEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID PASSAGEWAY IS TRANSFORMED INTO AN OPPOSITE MOVEMENT DIRECTION OF THE OTHER FEED ROLL ARRANGEMENT, AND SPRING MEANS ACTING UPON SAID LINKAGE MEANS SO AS TO URGE SAID LOWER AND UPPER FEED ROLL ARRANGEMENT TOWARD EACH OTHER. 